RABBI DAVID ETENGOFF: PARASHAT HASHAVUAH
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770

8/19/2018

Parashat Ki Tetze, 5778, 2018:  Elul: "Finding Our Path"

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
​
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Eliezer ben Sarah, Anshul Pinchas ben Chaya and Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

 
 
Our parasha begins with the following pasuk (verse): “If you go out to war against your enemies, and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives. (Sefer Devarim 21:10, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Basing himself upon the Midrash Sifrei on our pasuk, Rashi (1040-1105) notes that our verse refers to the common practice of taking captives during the course of a standard war scenario.
 
Most of the classic meforshim (commentators) follow Rashi’s lead and employ it as the basis of their analyses. A very different approach, however, is offered by the kabbalistic work, Zohar Chadash, in its commentary on our verse which emphasizes our ability to conquer the yetzer harah (the evil inclination) in spiritual battle:

And regarding the matter, “if you go forth against your enemies,” − this refers to none other than the yetzer harah [whose power] we are obligated to remove [from ruling over us]. [The most efficacious manner of so doing] is through acceptance of the Torah’s words, in order to fight against it. [If we are successful in this endeavor, then] he [i.e. the yetzer harah] will [finally be] under the hegemony of mankind. As the text states: “…and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives.” (Parashat Ki Tetze, 96a, translation and brackets my own)
 
In many ways, the Zohar Chadash’s ethically-infused explication of our pasuk is precisely what we need during this period of the year. After all, we are in the middle of Chodesh Elul, the Hebrew month that preeminently represents our desire to draw closer to Hashem and reinvigorate our relationship with Him. Once again, we are preparing ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we will stand before the Master of the Universe and beg Him for long and healthy lives, successful and honest livelihoods, and the overall happiness of our families, friends, and entire nation. As our passage notes, laser-sharp focus upon the Torah and its mitzvot will enable us to overcome the yetzer harah and its beguiling temptations, and bring us closer to achieving the physical and spiritual outcomes that are first and foremost on our minds during this time of  teshuvah (repentance).
 
In a complementary presentation, the Talmud Bavli, Berachot presents the practical steps that an individual must undertake in order to win the spiritual and ethical war against the yetzer harah:

Rabbi Levi bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish (Reish Lakish): At all times an individual must rouse the yetzer tov (positive inclination) [to do battle against] the yetzer harah. As the text states: “Bestir yourselves and do not sin…” (This and the following Bible quotations, Sefer Tehillim 4:5) If one is successful [by following this approach], then all is good. If not, one must occupy oneself with Torah study. As the text states: “say in your hearts [i.e. your minds].” If one is successful [by following this approach,] then all is good. If not, one must occupy oneself with the recitation of Kriat Sh’ma (Sh’ma Yisrael). As the text states: “upon your beds” [− similar to the wording of Kriat Sh’ma]. If one is successful [by following this approach,] then all is good. If not, one must remember that someday in the future one will ultimately encounter one’s day of death. As the text states: “and be silent forever.” (5a, translation and brackets my own)
 
In Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish’s estimation, the steps for achieving complete victory over the yetzer harah are quite clear:
  • Rousing the yetzer tov over the yetzer harah
  • Torah study (re-establish correct priorities)
  • Kriat Sh’ma (refocus upon Hashem’s presence and existence)
  • Reflecting upon the notion that one day we will pass from this world to the next (and stand in judgment before the Almighty)
 
Fascinatingly, Reish Lakish provides us with four different modalities for going to war against the yetzer harah. With deep psychological and spiritual insight, he recognizes that teshuvah is not a “one size fits all experience.” Instead, each step and its successor is designed to reach the heart, mind and soul of a particular group of people and encourage them to re-examine and re-fortify their relationship with the Almighty. Perhaps, this is the underlying rationale as to why the celebrated pasuk, “Restore us to You, O L-rd, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old,” (Megillat Eichah 5:21) is stated in the plural − to teach us that there are many different paths to bring us closer to our Creator. With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may we each find our own. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.
 
*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.



Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Author

    Talmid of Rabbi Soloveitchik zatzal

    Categories

    All
    Parashat Hashavuah

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog: Rabbi David Etengoff: Parashat HaShavuah
  • Sefer Bereishit 5782&5783
  • Sefer Shemot 5782&5783
  • Sefer Vayikra 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5782&5783
  • Sefer Devarim 5782&5783
  • Sefer Bereishit 5780& 5781
  • Sefer Shemot 5780&5781
  • Sefer Vayikra 5780&5781
  • Sefer Bamidbar 578&5781
  • Sefer Devarim 578&5781
  • Sefer Bereishit 5778&5779
  • Sefer Shemot 5778&5779
  • Sefer Vayikra 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5778&5779
  • Sefer Devarim 5778&5779
  • Sefer Bereishit 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bereishit 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bereishit 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bereishit 5771&5770
  • Sefer Shemot 5776&5777
  • Sefer Shemot 5774&5775
  • Sefer Shemot 5772&5773
  • Sefer Shemot 5771&5770
  • Sefer Vayikra 5776&5777
  • Sefer Vayikra 5774&5775
  • Sefer Vayikra 5772&5773
  • Sefer Vayikra 5771&5770
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5776&5777
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5774&5775
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5772&5773
  • Sefer Bamidbar 5771&5770
  • Sefer Devarim 5776&5777
  • Sefer Devarim 5774&5775
  • Sefer Devarim 5772&5773
  • Sefer Devarim 5771&5770